Chelsea Monitoring AC Milan Duo Gianluigi Donnarumma & Alessio Romagnoli
By Tom Gott
Exclusive - Chelsea have asked agent Mino Raiola to keep them updated on the situation of AC Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, whose contract at San Siro is set to expire at the end of the current season.
The 21-year-old already boasts well over 200 senior appearances and is a regular in the Italy national team, and Milan are desperate to reach an agreement over a new deal in order to avoid losing their star for nothing.
Donnarumma himself has made it clear that he wants to stay at San Siro, recently telling DAZN (via Football Italia): “My agent will talk to the club, there’s no problem. I want to stay at Milan for a long time, but we’ll see what the club decides. I want to relish this moment as long as I can.”
However, with an agreement yet to be reached, clubs around Europe are keeping a close eye on the situation, and sources have confirmed to 90min that Chelsea have asked Raiola to keep them in the loop if Donnarumma is unable to agree on fresh terms.
The Blues are not his only suitors, with long-term admirers Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus both keen to move for Donnarumma. All three are happy with their current goalkeepers, but they see the chance to sign a player of the Italian's age and experience for free as too good to ignore.
Chelsea specifically have been much improved defensively since the introduction of Edouard Mendy this season. However, the long-term future of the world's most expensive goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga remains unclear, while backups Willy Caballero and Petr Cech are approaching 40.
Raiola is currently locked in talks with Milan to try and grant Donnarumma's wish of staying at the club, but I Rossoneri are struggling to meet the agent's demands of close to £200,000-a-week. Raiola knows Donnarumma could earn even more if he moves overseas, but he is giving Milan the chance to get a deal done before offering his client elsewhere.
In Chelsea's contact with Raiola, centre-back Alessio Romagnoli has also been mentioned. The 25-year-old, who has been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge in the past, has just 18 months remaining on his contract and is yet to ink an extension.
Frank Lampard is intrigued by the idea of landing Romagnoli for a cut-price deal, and he has asked club officials to keep up to date with the defender's contract situation.
As it stands, the Blues' interest remains just that. Raiola is currently working to keep his clients in Milan, but the agent has no issue with moving them elsewhere if the option presents itself, and Chelsea want to make sure they know what is going on with the pair's future.